Lockdown lifted in Sanikiluaq, 1 person in custody

Nunavut RCMP have one person in custody and say there is no longer a risk to public safety following a "critical situation" in Sanikiluaq that ended late Tuesday afternoon.

The person was arrested without incident and a lockdown has been lifted, according to an update RCMP issued Tuesday afternoon.

The community's health centre and school were previously locked down.

In a news release issued Tuesday morning, police had asked people to stay away from the 100 block area of town and to remain inside their homes.

The health centre has now reopened, according to Sanikiluaq's senior administrative officer, Michael Rowan.

"The community appreciates the RCMP's tact and finesse in dealing with this matter and we are grateful that they handled matters the way they did," Rowan said.

He said community members he spoke to were worried about the person involved and relieved they were arrested without incident.

The Nunavut RCMP major crime unit and containment team worked with crisis negotiators and had contained a house in the 100 block area, according to the news release from police.

The RCMP D Division's emergency response team were also on site, police said. The D Division works in Manitoba.

Sanikiluaq is Nunavut's southernmost community, located on the eastern reach of Hudson Bay. It has less than 1,000 residents, according to the Municipality of Sanikiluaq's website.

Police have not released any further information. They said the matter is still under investigation.